Almost everybody want to have better ideas and lots of them. You hear all sorts of analogies when it comes to producing better ideas, “think outside the box”, “look at it from another angle”, etc. All of them have their validity but often leaves you feeling drained and stupid.

几乎每个人都想要有好的想法，还想要有很多的想法。在谈到思考新想法时，你会听到各种类比方法，“要跳出固有的思维模式”，“从其它角度思考”等等。每种方法都有它的有效性，因而常常会让你精疲力尽又傻里傻气。

Why can’t I think outside the box? What is the box? Where is the “other” angle? Are creativity and idea creation perhaps for a select few? A rare breed of creative geniuses? I say definitely not. Armed with a few new ideas you can become more creative than you ever have been before. And the good news is that it’s not very difficult and it can be fun too.

我为什么跳不出框框？框框是什么？“另一个角度”在哪里？创造力和创意只能是属于某几个人吗？富有创意的天才是稀有品种吗？绝不是这样的。只要懂几个概念，你就能比之前变得更富有创意。是这一点都不难，此外它还很有趣。

The biggest problem with not coming up with new and better ideas is that your brain is basically lazy. It will keep to the same thinking patterns as much as it can.

你没有想到新颖和更好的想法，的一个问题是你的大脑太懒惰了。它会限度地保持同样的思考模式。

Keeping to the same thinking will produce more of the same types of ideas. The revolutionary ideas will not likely come at all. The reason your brain sticks to the same thought patterns is that you are feeding it the same kind of input all the time. More of the same input will make sure that your brain sticks to the same thought patterns. A second very important component in idea creation is volume. Not every idea you get will be brilliant, but by increasing the number of ideas you will naturally increase the number of good ideas as well. Quite simple really.

保持同样的思考方式会产生更多同样类型的想法。所以不太可能想得到革命性的想法。而产生大脑固守同样的思考模式的原因在于你总是在做同样的思考。第二大非常重要的因素是量。不是你想到的每一个想法都会精彩纷呈，但是随着想法越来越多，你自然就会增加好想法的数量。真的很简单。

So, now we know that to create better ideas we need to change our thought patterns and at the same time generate more ideas. You need to change the input, without changing the input you will be stuck.

现在我们知道，要创造好的想法，我们需要改变我们的思考模式，同时产生更多的想法。你需要改变输入模式，不改变输入，你还是会卡在那里。

Here are 5 ways to get new input that will have you creating more and better ideas continuously.

这里有5个方法能获取新的输入，这些方法会令你持续不断地创造更多又更好的想法。

1. Choose a new way to get to work.

选一种新的工作方式

This may seem like a small thing, but by going out of your way to find new ways to get to work you are changing your input naturally. You will see new things, think about new things and make new connections.

这看起来像是一件小事，但是摆脱自己的方式去找寻新的方式，你自然就改变了输入。你会看到新的事物，思考新的事物，建立新的联系。

2. Ask a child how they would solve a problem.

问问小孩子他们是怎么解决问题的

Children are not stuck in their ways the same way as adults can be. To them everything is possible. Even if the solution they present is not perfect or even practical it is very likely that it will spark new ideas in your own head.

孩子们不会像大人一样局限在同样的一种方式上。对他们来说，任何事都是可能的。即使他们展现的解决方案算不上完美也算不上实用，但很有可能它会在你脑中迸发出新的想法。

3. Pick a random magazine to read.

随便找本杂志看看

Computer programmers have their own favorite magazines, architects know which magazines are hot for architecture and so on. The problem with this is that everybody will be subject to the same stream of ideas. By going into a magazine store and randomly picking a magazine that might be about knitting and then actually reading it you will most likely find that the things you are thinking about have been solved already in another domain. Free ideas (except for the price of the magazine)!

程序员有他们自己最喜爱看的杂志，建筑师们知道哪些杂志是建筑方面的前沿期刊，等等。有一个问题是，大家都会受限于同一潮流的想法。走进杂志店，随便拿一本杂志阅读，也许这本杂志是有关针织的，你很可能发现你一直在思考的那些事已然在其它领域里得到解决了。这些想法都免费哦（当然你得为杂志买单）！

4. Force yourself to make connections.

强迫自己建立联系

This is a little game you can play with yourself, pick random things around your house (or even better, out of a bag) and force yourself to make connections between the object and the problem or project you are working on. Keep doing it for 10-15 minutes and see what happens.

这是一个你可以和自己玩的小游戏，在屋里随意挑一些东西（或包里也行），然后强迫自己建立联系，比如在物品和问题之间，或是物品和你正在进行的项目之间。花上10到15分钟，然后看看效果如何。

5. Self impose limits.

自我设限

By imposing limits on yourself your brain will have to work overtime and really get out of its own patterns. If you work with tools, remove the tool you use most frequently and ask yourself how you can accomplish a task in this new situation. Or, why not force yourself to explain a problem without using “shop talk”.

通过自我设限，你的大脑就不得不加班加点，这就走出了它固有的模式。如果你工作时需要工具，把你最常用的工具拿走，然后问问自己在这种新情况下你能如何完成这项任务。或者，尝试强迫自己在不用专业术语的情况下解释这个问题。

What next?

那下一个是什么呢？

The ideas above can of course be refined and substituted for lots of other ideas. As long as what you do forces new input on you, you will benefit. Also remember that it will be up to you to sort through and pick the best ideas. At least this way you will have more of them and they will be influenced by a larger space of knowledge and that is the key.

以上想法当然可以细化，或用其它想法替代。只要你能产生新的输入，你就有收获了。此外要记住，整理并挑选出主意的人是你。至少这样你会有越来越多的想法，它们也会受到广博的学识的影响，而这才是关键所在。